With the knowledge that Monroe has sent a nuclear weapon to Atlanta, Miles (Billy Burke), Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) and Nora (Daniella Alonso) head for Georgia, where steam power rules and its citizens live a fine life thanks to a far richer economy than what the Monroe Republic can offer.

Meanwhile, Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Aaron (Zak Orth) are off to find an amulet-bearing woman named Jane Warren who can help them get into the Tower. The two slavering Militia soldiers who attack them meet an internally-combustible end courtesy of the very woman they were seeking.

Smart cookie Jane (Kate Burton, “Scandal”) immediately realizes that Rachel wants to go to the Tower to short-circuit the nanites. We learn that these nanomachines can do more than absorb electricity (and fry you from the inside out); they can also be used to help repair bodies, and were essentially behind what was keeping Danny alive. Jane refuses to help, because if the nanites are turned off her girlfriend Beth, who has a cancer that is controlled by these devices, will most certainly die.

However, it is Beth herself who convinces her partner to part with the information that Rachel needs, even knowing that turning the nanites off means her death.

Alec (Dayo Okeniyi) has a very good reason to be holding a grudge against Miles in “Revolution.” Credit: NBC

The nuclear weapon has been smuggled into Atlanta by Alec (Dayo Okeniyi, “Hunger Games”), one of Miles’ former protégés, and the fellowto whom he once upon a time gifted his grandfather’s “lucky” knife. Once Miles locates the WMD, a close quarters swordfight ensues between its protector Alec and his former Militia mentor. Charlie intervenes with a shoulder-piercing arrow, wounding Alec, who manages to escape after shooting a cop and leaving Miles to take the blame from the arriving police force.

“Miles has the swagger and the sword tricks,” Alec warns Charlie before slipping away. “You don’t think he’d hurt you? Ask him what he did to your mom sometime.” Alec has good reason to offer such advice, being that Miles had betrayed him once before. (Miles later sidesteps Charlie’s question about what he once did to her mom.)

Monroe’s “Warning” flyers. Credit: NBC

A military helicopter appears and begins dropping flyers from General Monroe. He is demanding the unconditional surrender of the Georgia Federation and warns of a nuclear attack if Atlanta does not comply. Panicked residents begin evacuating the city.

Miles is taken to Georgia Federation President Kelly Foster (Leslie Hope), yet another person with a personal grudge against the former Monroe Militia commander. (It seems like everyone has a knife handy just waiting to slit this guy’s throat.) Miles offers to stop Alec from detonating the bomb, so she lets him go.

urns out that that Miles once betrayed Alec in order to avoid a war with Texas. “The job comes first.” In the mass confusion of the fleeing citizenry, Miles most improbably immediately locates Nora and Charlie and then fugitive Alec’s hiding place in a nearby basement.

Monroe transmits the order to detonate the device and the two men fight for control of the weapon. Miles ends up killing Alec with his granddaddy’s knife, of course, and delivers the defused bomb to President Foster, albeit sans its nuclear material. Even so, Foster decides that war with the is inevitable, and offers Miles 200 soldiers and a thousand guns to open up a second rebel front against Monroe while her troops attack the Republic’s southern border.

This is just one long trek with Aaron’s self-sacrificing death at the end, isn’t it? Zak Orth and Elizabeth Mitchell in “Revolution.” Credit: NBC

Things that didn’t work in this episode:

Why use flashlights of all things to test for power? Wouldn’t it have been more inconspicuous to just use digital watches? But then, how could ANY of the batteries in these devices still work after 15 years? I’d certainly like the patent on that rechargeable technology.

Why did Frodo and Samwise Rachel and Aaron go alone on their trek to the Tower? Why not take some rebel support forces with them as protection? Watching them play catch-and-release each week gets old very fast. In fact, this plot device only happened once and it already feels overused.

You really need your “suspension of disbelief” hat for this episode. Minutes after arriving in Atlanta, Miles has located Alec and the nuke. Moments after being released by Foster he stumbles over both Charlie and Nora and Alec’s secret hideout.

Ummm, what happened to the other two guys on Alec’s three-man nuke delivery team?

I feel so sorry for actor Zak Orth. He’s had nothing to do in multiple episodes thus far but trail after other people and get beaten up in various ways. Since the writers have given Aaron next-to-no dialogue I can’t help but feel that he is simply a long-lived red shirt being held over to underline some future plot point — and then be killed off. As the only flashback we’ve ever had with his character involved his now long-missing wife, it’s a good guess that she’ll play a part in his eventual not very surprising demise.

Things that did work in this episode:

The fights between Miles and Alec were less of the usual sword-and-fantasy variety and more one-on-one, and were therefore more believable. It’s just too bad that the new relationships shown (between Miles and Alec, and Rachel and Jane) were so brief. Good though the actors may be, it’s difficult to care what happens to one-shot guest stars without more character development.

My take: My take: I’ve been saying all along that it was ridiculous to think that all of the engineers and scientists and mechanics and teachers would simply forget how to create machines that work sans electricity. Proof that such technology is viable lies in the Georgia Republic’s obviously successful adaptation of steam power. So, are all of the Monroe Republic scientists just plain stupid, or what?

I am a Tampa Bay Pop Culture Reviewer for Examiner.com, and a contributing writer at SciFi4Me.com, where you will find a vast array of sci-fi news and reviews, interviews and cool links to other science fiction sites.